Wickedness in Oz

Dr. Doofenshmirtz as the Wicked Warlock

Oz is a world more innocent and wondrous than the world we currently live in. The original author of Oz, L. Frank Baum, wanted to create a modern fairy tale, where the heartaches and nightmares are left out. This creates a whimsical world where good is the order of the day and the adversaries are either misguided or wicked.

So what, exactly, does it mean to be wicked?

The variation between good and wicked in Oz is fairly small. This is consistent between the Famous Fourteen stories (written by Baum) and The Hidden History saga. Wickedness is selfishness. Simply put:

Wickedness is acting selfishly for the purpose of obtaining power.

Many characters in the Hidden History stories make selfish choices. Does this make them wicked? Not necessarily. Self-interest is a primary motivator in life. To be free and to establish liberty, there must first be self-interest in being free from the shackles of servitude and bondage. Several characters are motivated to establish liberty and principles of freedom in the Emerald City. However, just as many (if not more) people are motivated by ease and wealth and comfort. They will take advantage of those willing to work hard and gain power over others. This moves from self-interested decisions to selfish actions for the purpose of gaining power.

Take as an example, the automaton army marched against Glinda’s army. Kally (Kalinya, the Wicked Witch of the East) had a giant automaton, the Thunder Colossus, as her secret weapon. Simply by marching this superweapon onto the field of battle, she expected that Glinda’s army would surrender. This isn’t evil, as we see it. Unless you define these actions as the Doofenshmirtz version of evil.

For those familiar with the Disney cartoon, Phineas and Ferb, Dr. Doofenshmirtz is an evil scientist who constantly attempts to take over the tri-state area with his outrageous inventions. Every invention comes with an evil scheme, and most of them come with a tragic backstory to justify the nefarious deed. These schemes are more comical than evil, and they are simply intended to make Dr. Doofenshmirtz ruler over the people of the tri-state area.

This version of evil is about where the Wicked Witches are in Baum’s Oz and in the Hidden History saga. True evil does not make an appearance…yet. Wickedness corrupts. There may yet be an evil-doer in the Hidden History stories. There are many yet to come.

Until then, we have this type of evil…

For more Hidden History of Oz goodness and wickedness, read the novels today.